Crazy for You
by Spikeybabe
Summary: Using the Ars Amatoria Romance Themes Challenge prompts, a story based on Kim and Skull. Skull has always been crazy about Kim, but lately Kim has been finding herself seeing Skull in a different light.
1. Friends

Today I'm leaning against my locker playing it cool. I'm pretending I'm waiting for Bulk to come, but really I'm waiting to see** her **before going to class.

Kim Hart is everything I'm never going to be. She's bubbly, outgoing, friendly, popular, and beautiful. I'm loud, abrasive, semi-attractive, and mostly a loner.

We aren't friends and probably won't ever be. Then again, I'm sure we won't. I make it a policy to never lie to myself even when I have my clueless façade to the outside world. To be completely honest, I don't just want friendship from her, but you have to start somewhere.

On the surface, the only thing we have in common is music. She plays the guitar and my secret skill is the piano. That's not much to build a friendship on and that's even if she were willing to do it.

I almost fell over when Bulkie punched my shoulder. He laughed hard. "Hey, dweeb."

I nodded. "Who were you looking for?" I was startled at the question. I guess I underestimated him because I never thought he would be able to see that I was looking at someone. I ignored the question, hoping he'd let it go. He'd only tease me about it if he knew. He looked at me skeptically, but let it go. "Let's bounce then."

I breathed a sigh of relief that he let it go. Bulk never did like a mystery; it's why we were always trying to uncover the Power Rangers identities.

We took off down the hall; the familiar feel of my trench coat flapping against my legs distracted me from the disappointment of not seeing Kim. I glanced back one final time to see her opening her locker. Resolutely, I turned away, ignoring the flutter in my stomach. There was no point in thinking about it. She'd never look at me in any way other than being a nuisance. I just wish my heart would understand.


	2. Dare

Kim sat in her room, staring at her friend in shock. "Are you out of your mind?" she groaned. "I am not kissing Skull!"

"Oh, Kim, don't be a sissy. We both agreed we would do anything the other dared and this is my dare. I ran around the house with my shirt off, so I think you can do this."

"I'd rather run around topless than kiss Skull."

She shrugged. "It's your choice. I'm not forcing you to do anything."

Their communicators chimed, interrupting their argument. Kim was frowning as they hit their teleport buttons. After the fight, when they powered down and were standing in the Command Center, Kim didn't stop to think that her almost boyfriend was still in the room.

"Okay, Trini, I'll kiss him."

They all stared at her in varying degrees of confusion. "Kiss who?" Tommy growled.

"Trini and I were playing Truth or Dare and we agreed that we'd do anything the other thought up. She dared me to kiss Skull."

Zack choked and she shot him a look.

"And you're going to do it?"

"Of course I am. I don't lie and I'm not a coward."

"You realize he likes you, right? This is going to lead him on."

"Okay, Handsome, I don't know why you're getting so bent out of shape, you and I aren't exactly together yet so cut the jealous routine. Besides, Skull has flirted with me since freshman year. It's just habit for him. It's the same way for me when I turn him down."

"I've got to watch this."

Kim was aghast. "You want to see me kiss another man?"

Jason laughed. "I think we're all going to be there, Kim."

Trini, Zack, and Billy nodded.

The next morning found Kim leaning against her locker, studying Skull, who was leaning against his.

He wasn't a bad looking guy. He was slim and had a good smile. His best feature was his hands – he had long graceful fingers. Every morning he leaned against his locker watching the halls until Bulk showed up. These were the times, she thought, that they could actually be friends.

She changed her mind when Bulk walked up and Skull's whole demeanor changed. She couldn't hear what was said, but Skull's giggle warned her that it wasn't worth hearing.

"Hey, Kim," Jason walked up beside her, followed by Billy and Zack.

"Nervous?" Billy asked hesitantly.

"More like horrified," she muttered. Zack laughed softly. "Where are Tommy and Trini?"

"Trini's coming down the hall now and Tommy's late, as usual."

"I'm here." They turned to see Tommy frowning. "Let's get this over with."

She rolled her eyes. He wasn't the one getting ready to kiss Skull. If Tommy wanted to be jealous, he could ask her out first. Skull glanced her way and his eyes widened at the sight of the six of them staring at him. He muttered something to Bulk who looked at them suspiciously. "Hey, dweebs." She waved half-heartedly, praying that she could get this over with quickly and then forget about it. Maybe with a shopping trip. They sauntered across the hall to stand in front of them. "Is there a reason you're staring at us?"

"Unfortunately." She inhaled deeply, took a few steps forward. She put both her hands on Skull's face, who visibly blushed as she touched him. "This is a dare, okay?" She had to tell him the reason this was about to happen. She leaned forward and kissed him firmly on the lips. He jerked away, tripped on his trench coat, and fell on his butt in the hallway.

They started laughing and Skull's face went even brighter. Bulk held out his hand and Skull took it and stood up. Kim smiled, trying to ignore the fact that his lips had been soft against hers. "Well, you've been trying to get me to kiss you for three year, Skull. Did it meet your expectations?"

"I gotta go," he muttered desperately and ran off down the hall. Bulk frowned, and after glancing at them, he followed his best friend down the hall.

"I can't believe you did it, Kim" Trini said quietly. Kim smiled warmly. "I accepted the dare, didn't I?" She glanced down the hall wondering if she could find Skull and find out what was wrong.


	3. Secrets

She left school alone that afternoon. The guys were going to the Youth Center to spar and Trini had a dentist's appointment. She could have gone with the guys, but for once, she wasn't in the mood for socializing.

She turned into the park, lost in her thoughts. She walked toward the pond and looked up to see Skull sitting on a bench looking at the water. She headed toward him and stopped at the edge of the bench. "Hey, Skull."

He looked up. "Hi, Kim." He didn't look upset that she was there, so she sat down on the bench next to him. They sat in silence for a few moments. "I'm surprised that you're not with your friends."

She shrugged. "I just felt like being alone this afternoon. I'll hang with them later. Why aren't you with Bulk?"

"Detention." He went silent. "Are you okay, Skull? You seem a little preoccupied."

He turned toward her and she drew back from him, warned by the reckless light in his eyes. It was the same light that had been in Trini's eyes when the dare had been set and she was afraid of what was to be revealed.

"Are you sure you want to talk about this? We all have secrets, Kim. If I share one of mine, are you going to share one of yours?"

She shook her head. If she were smart, she'd leave but she thought that maybe it had been to late the second she'd found him.

"I know one of your secrets, Kim, so to be fair I'll tell you one of mine."

Hesitantly she asked. "What secret of mine do you know?"

He glanced meaningfully at her communicator and said softly, "Pinkie." He sighed at her flinch. "I won't tell anyone." He smiled slightly. "I haven't told Bulk, you know." He looked at her expectantly and she lost herself in his brown eyes. Bright brown eyes, so soft, intelligent, and deep. She shook herself. She liked Tommy; she didn't need to be admiring Skull's eyes.

"You're not going to ask my secret?" he teased softly. She refused to react. "Never mind, I'll tell you anyway. I like you, Kim. Really like you."

She paled and her mouth trembled open, but he stopped her. "Don't worry. I'm not expecting anything."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"Tit for tat. I know your secret so now you know one of mine." He smiled. "I'm too immature for a girlfriend and you've been crazy about Tommy since you've first seen him."

She nodded; happy this wasn't going to end badly. "I like to think that I'm a good judge of character but you've really surprised me, Skull."

"Bulk and I are dumbasses." He smiled sheepishly at her surprised laughter. "Some of it's an act, but some of it isn't."

Her communicator chimed and she started to make an excuse to leave but stopped. "Duty calls." She stood up to leave but turned back abruptly. "Friends?" she inquired softly.

His face lit up, to her surprise and he laughed quietly. "Friends," he replied firmly.


	4. Youth

"There's our brother now." Kim followed Scarlet's pointing finger and didn't bother to react. With the way her day had been going so far, she wasn't surprised that the brother Scarlet was indicating was Skull.

That morning, her father had insisted she take her eight-year-old brother, Kevin, to the Angel Grove Fair. She had tried to argue that since she was leaving for Miami tomorrow, she really needed to spend some quality mall time with her female friends before her date this evening with Tommy. Her father wasn't convinced and had firmly stated that she could spend the time with Kevin now or she was going to do it instead of her date. She chose the fair.

She didn't have anything against her brother, except they had nothing in common. She was nine years older than he was and he probably wouldn't even miss her anyway. Who knew when she would be back in Angel Grove and her family could visit anytime, especially since her Aunt Gretchen was going to be her legal guardian until she turned 18.

They had been at the fair an hour before she had sat down and shooed him off to get sodas. She thought she was in good shape but she wasn't compared to an eight-year-old. When Kevin had returned, he was with two identical girls and his face was a little pink, when he introduced them. "These are two of my classmates. This is," he indicated the girl in red, "Pearl and her sister Scarlet." Scarlet was wearing yellow. "Hi, girls," she said with a grin. They had convinced her that the three of them could play games together without any trouble, but they needed to ask their brother first. Then Skull was with them.

"Pearl, Scarlet, when I told you to come right back that doesn't mean run off with someone. Why didn't you tell me where you were going?"

"We're sorry, Gene. This is our classmate, Kevin, and we wanted to play games with him. His sister said we had to ask permission first."

He glanced up at Kim and smiled. "Hi, Kim. You don't mind if the twins play with Kevin?"

"It's fine."

They cheered and ran off to the games. "Stay close," Skull called behind them and Pearl waved.

He sat next to Kim and it was a comfortable silence. Since the day that they had decided to be friends, they had called a voluntary truce. He still acted like a goon at school and she still ignored him. Sometimes, in the morning, when they both stood at their lockers, they smiled at each other and sometimes they walked home together and they were different. They had meaningful conversations that didn't involve his giggle or her valley talk. They just were.

"I didn't know you had sisters, Skull. Do you have any more siblings?"

"Yeah, I have older twin brothers, too."

"Wow. I couldn't imagine having two sets of twins."

"It's a family thing. For three hundred years, coming down on my mother's side, every couple has a set of twins. Mom's the first one to have two sets."

"That's amazing."

They sat there in companionable silence until he stood up and looked through the crowd. "Just checking on the kids." He sat back down. "Are you nervous about going to Miami?"

"Not really. I'm going to do my best there and it's all I can ask for. I'm more nervous about leaving my dad and brother, Tommy, and my friends. I've lived here my entire life and it's going to be weird moving across the country."

"It's understandable to be nervous, Kim, but if anyone can make it; it's going to be you. You have an amazing ability to adapt to your surroundings."

She smiled at him, touched by his encouragement. And that brought the feelings she'd been ignoring come to the surface. There was something in his eyes that called to her; something that scared her so she ignored it. She got the feeling that he could feel it too because he would stop looking at her and sure enough, he looked away.

In one of their talks, he had confessed to playing the piano so she had passed him some sheet music that she'd had trouble completing and within days he had given her the finished version. She had entitled it "Crazy for You" and had written it for Tommy. She played it once at the Juice Bar for everyone and the expression in Skull's eyes had been so hurt that she had never played it again.

"It's about time for us to leave. We're supposed to be home in twenty minutes." She looked up, so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't seen him stand up. "Thanks for letting the girls hang out with Kevin."

"It's not a problem. I'm sure he's enjoyed it. I think he's got a crush on one of them."

He laughed. "I know Pearl has a crush on him; maybe it's mutual." He turned toward her. "Good luck in Miami, Kim."

"Thanks." He started away from her and at the last second, she got his attention. "Hey, Skull? I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." She watched him collect his sisters and leave. Kevin came back to her and sat down. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Did you have a good time today, Kev?"

"Yeah. Thanks for bringing me, sis."

"So? Are you going to tell me which twin you like?"

He blushed. "Pearl," he replied softly.

"I think it's sweet that you have a crush." She hugged him.

"It's not just a crush."

"What?"

"I'm going to marry her someday."

"Uh, Kevin…"

He shook his head. "She knows. We've talked about it."

"O-kay. When you decide to get married, let me know, okay? Let's go home."

She walked off with Kevin, already forgetting his resolution to marry Pearl Skullovitch and wondering how she was going to cope in a new city with no family except Aunt Gretchen and no friends.


	5. Patience

I had some problems with this chapter, so far know I'm going to leave it as is.

Patience

To: From: loved the song! When you get the lyrics done, I'd love to see them.

Later,

Kim

Completely exasperated with myself, I once again didn't delete Kim's email, instead transferring it to the folder I already had full of her mail. Somehow she'd gotten my email address and we had been emailing each other since she'd left for Miami.

They were chatty little emails; mine filled with gossip from our hometown. News of when Aisha left and Tanya came, when they turned into the Turbo Rangers, when Rocky left and Justin stepped in, how our graduation went, and when the others stepped down. Hers were filled with her training and her new friends. She told me when she'd broken up with Tommy. Then she told me about her new boyfriends. Yeah, that gave me a thrill.

About a year and a half after she left, I went on a dating frenzy. I had realized that part of me was just waiting for her to return and I had the uncomfortable realization that I would never get over her.

It's amazing what graduating from high school, going to night classes, and meeting whole new people can do for a person. Now when I asked women out, they said yes. I spent three memorable months with one beautiful woman named Veronica. Ronnie made me a man in the physical sense but she was smart enough to realize my heart wasn't in it and we parted as friends.

I glanced at the time and realized it was almost time to go to work. I logged off and stood up from the computer. I walked over to the piano that took up half of my bedroom.

Running my fingers over the keys, I started playing the song; the one that Kim likes. She doesn't know that the song is about her or that I have the lyrics completed already. Maybe she'll see them someday.

Singing the words softly along with the haunting notes, I let the song say the things that I can't say right now. I had poured my heart and soul into it and it shows. My parents say it's the best thing I've ever written. The notes taper off and I sit there almost trembling from the emotion it calls for. My song is entitled "Patience". To deal with this situation, it's something that I need a lot of.


	6. Routine

Yeah, so I have to say the inspiration for this entire story is from this little blurb I found that said there was a deleted reference in "Forever Red" that Kim and Skull were married. I have no idea how truthful that is, but here we are.

Routine

Kim stood on the sidelines of the floor mat. She had made a strong showing at the Pan Globals so far and was currently in second place. The girl starting her floor routine now was in first and Kim was the last competitor up.

She was unconcerned with anyone else's routine but her own. She wanted to win, of course she did, but she never worried. Everyone called her the "Girl with the Nerves of Steel" because she was never nervous. She couldn't tell them that fearing for her life everyday for two years made performing gymnastic routines fairly inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. But while she wasn't nervous, she had made an error. A serious error that was going to cost her, unless she could reverse it. She had lost her focus, lost her concentration on her performance.

It was all because she had scanned the crowd for her hometown friends. The larger part of her knew that all of them couldn't come, but she had hoped that at least one of them would. She knew between college and jobs and their lives why they hadn't but a small part of her was still hurt.

She ignored all activity around her, instead stretching and scrambling to find her zone. Until a roar from the crowd caught her attention. Jessica Davis, the competitor on the floor, the girl currently in first, had just fallen. She got back up, but Kim wasn't thinking that now she could possibly end up in first. She had looked at just the right place and her eyes had locked on Skull, who was sitting in the crowd. He was smiling at her and she felt her emotions steady and her focus snap into place in a heartbeat. A smile teased the corners of her mouth. She was going to do this.

* * *

Later, much later, after the awards ceremony and the interviews and she was finally alone, she breathed a sigh of relief. She came out of the locker room and headed towards the parking lot. When she turned the corner, she found Skull leaning against the wall. "Skull!"

He pushed himself off and he came forward with a smile. "Congratulations, gold medalist."

She laughed, full of joy. "Thank you. But why are you hanging around out here? I looked for you earlier, when I was with my family, but I couldn't find you."

"I thought you needed some time with them." He shrugged sheepishly. "And I was standing here because I felt kind of pervy standing outside the woman's locker room."

He looked so abashed that she hugged him.

"I'm so happy you came! How long are you here for? How did you get here?"

"Whoa. I knew that none of your friends could come because I had talked to Adam. My parents paid for my ticket to come; it's what I asked for this year for my birthday. And," he glanced at his watch, "I have to be at the airport in less than half an hour. I wanted to see you before I left, but now I need to find a cab."

"Please, you don't need a cab. I'll drive you." They headed out to her car and drove to the airport. "You mean Bulk went to Mirinoi? Are you sorry you missed the chance to go?"

"Not really. It's giving me a chance to grow up without Bulk around. That sounds harsh, but it's the truth. We've been friends since kindergarten, but I have a tendency to follow what he wants."

"And now you're working as a music producer?"

"My Uncle John owns a studio in L.A. and he's teaching me the ropes. Actually, have you heard the song "Yesterday" by Janna Tyler? It's my song – writing and production."

"That's amazing."

"Thanks." He frowned as they walked through the terminal. "I can't believe that we're talking about me when you're the one who just won the Pan Globals."

"I'm interested," she assured him.

He smiled, but then they were at his gate. He pulled his ticket out of his pocket. "Congratulations again, Kim." He leaned in and hugged her before turning away. "I'll email you. Take care."

She let him take a few steps before calling out, "Hey, Skull?" When he turned, she asked the question burning in her mind. "Why did you ask for a trip to Miami to see me for your birthday? It couldn't have been worth it."

"You are worth it, Kim." His softly spoken reply shocked her. She looked at him. His black hair brushed his collar, his eyes were warm, his smile was crooked, and he wore a skull earring which amused her. She walked toward him and did something she never thought she'd do willingly. She kissed him. He tasted faintly of cinnamon and the feelings it raised wasn't something she was prepared for and she drew away.

They stared at each other, both stunned. He rubbed a hand over his face. "I, uh, I'll see you around."

As he went through the gate, she watched him thoughtfully. "See ya, Skull," she murmured.


	7. Smile

She thought maybe his crooked smile, his little happy "I-know-who-I-am-the-hell-to-you-grin was what had caused her to kiss him. Maybe the excitement over her Pan Global win had caused her to snap. Or maybe it was too many hits when she was a Ranger, because she wasn't supposed to have these feelings towards Skull.

Sure, she had had some funny feelings regarding him in high school, but soon Tommy had taken over the top spot in her fantasies, though Skull had made some surprise appearances later. She was supposed to be past the age where she was a walking hormone. Obviously not.

Skull was an attractive man. She was so used to seeing him in his high school persona, that she hadn't looked past that yet. In actuality, he was in college, learning a marketable skill, had one of his songs recorded by a rising pop star. He was literate, had a good sense of humor, and he was very sweet. She shouldn't be so quick to write him off. Unfortunately, they currently lived 3,000 miles apart and there were no guarantees that he wanted to get to know her better. She grinned. She wasn't one to back down from a challenge, though. Ever practical, she brought up her email. She typed a quick message before sending it.

* * *

When he got home, exhausted from his cross-country jaunt, the only thing he could think of was his bed. Ten hours later, he got up and thinking to take a shower, stopped off at his email. The message from Kim, sent two hours after his departure from Miami, made his stomach sink. He had tried not to think about the kiss that had rocked his world, but it was an exercise in futility.

He opened the mail, scanned it, and his mouth dropped open. Endless moments passed before he started grinning widely. Jumping up, he danced a jig while heading to the bathroom.

He danced back to the computer and replied by typing the word "Yes" and sending it. He danced off, leaving the screen up.

The message read:

Skull –

When I make it back to the West Coast, do you want to go out sometime?

Kim


	8. Game

You may have to suspend reality about the whole Olympics/never competing again thing. I don't really know, I've never been in the Olympics or broken a bone, so I just went with it.

Game 

Kim sat in her Miami apartment, finishing up her last minute packing. The movers were coming early tomorrow morning to load up her furniture. It was costing her a fortune to have her belongings moved three thousand miles, but it was worth it not to have to deal with herself.

She was going finally going home. The three years since Pan Globals had been turbulent. Instead of going back to Angel Grove then, she had set her sights on the Olympics. She'd gone all out and surprisingly enough, she'd made the team. The first night of competitions had been excellent and she'd placed high enough to end up in fourth place on the balance beam. A tenth of a point had stopped her from getting bronze. Trini and Jason had flown in from New York where they were going to college and had celebrated with her.

But the next morning, disaster had struck. She had walked out of her hotel and had been run over by a bike messenger. Her ankle had been broken in three places and had to be put back together with steel pins. Her Olympic dreams were shattered, and her ability to compete now just a memory. The doctors said that the stress from training would only aggravate the injury.

She'd been shattered with the prognosis. She was a gymnast; it was the only thing she'd worked for her entire life, excluding the Power Rangers and now it was gone. Who was she supposed to be now?

Trini held her hand during her outburst and let her outpour her feelings. Once Kimberly was drained and spent, she told Kim, "You've never been "just" a gymnast. You now have a decision to make and there are all sorts of options out there. Don't let what you were affect who you'll be."

That was eight months ago. She no longer thought Miami held any of those options for her. She was going home to see if Angel Grove held those answers for her.

At the knock on the door, she pushed herself to her feet with a groan. She went to the door, limping slightly on her still tender ankle.

"SKULL!" She launched herself at him with a squeal. "Look at you! You look great."

He wrapped his arms around her, stunning her. He'd been working out and she could feel the results. He set her down and she pulled him into her apartment. "What brought you to Miami?"

"Business." He laughed mockingly. "The music industry is so flighty. They insisted that they needed me here, but by the time I got here, they canceled. So, I stopped by to see if you needed any help with your packing." He studied her. "How is your ankle doing?" he asked softly.

"Stronger every day." She directed him to the bookcases where she'd been in the middle of unloading all the contents. She loved books and she collected them religiously. Her last count had been over fifteen hundred and she loved every one of them, but now it was just another task for her to finish. She went to other end and started working toward him.

He unloaded a couple shelves before unbuttoning his over shirt and pulled it off. He was wearing a wife beater underneath and she arched an eyebrow. "Looks like you've been working out."

"Yeah. I was in such bad shape and it didn't help that I fly across the country on a regular basis. So I started working out and it helped my stamina. Besides," he rolled his eyes, "I have an image to maintain now. Uncle John insists that working for him means that the leather and chains had to go."

"I don't know," she drawled. "I kind of miss the leather and dog collars."

"Me, too," he winked. "I still wear it on my days off."

She had to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the wink.

They worked in companionable silence, but she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Maybe now the game they'd been playing would finally come to end now that they were going to be in the same state again.

They had each dated other people in the last three years. She struggled with jealousy. It wasn't as if they were together yet. They emailed each other constantly and they had never struggled for things to talk about. She mentioned her dream of owning a gymnastics school and he talked about the restaurant that he was becoming a partner in with Bulk.

Once a month, like clockwork, she received a package from him. They contained little gifts: her favorite tulips, an autograph from the musicians he produced, perfume, colored stones, and books. At first she tried to get him to stop but when he wouldn't, she sent him things in return. Tickets to a Broadway show he'd wanted to see, a pair of dagger earrings, a Miami Heat cap, which netted her a Lakers hat in return.

The courting ritual had been fun, but she was ready to see if they could make a relationship work.

After two hours, she stopped and ordered them some Mexican takeout. At his inquiring look, she shrugged. "It's going to sound stupid, but I'm not a big fan of eating in restaurants. I'd rather eat at home."

He nodded. "Okay. I'm going to run down to the corner store and pick up some supplies. I bet you've already packed your dishes."

She smiled slightly. He knew her too well. "I'll be back in a few minutes." He smiled at her before brushing a soft kiss against her cheek. The door shut quietly behind him and she brushed her cheek with her fingers. Oh, yeah. She was definitely ready for the next step.


	9. Yield

Skull's name is Eugene; but I'm going on the assumption that his family calls him Gene for short. Like my cousin is called Mel and her name is Melanie. I'm Andrea and sometimes (which I hate) called Andi. Gene/Eugene/Skull - I think he's suffering from multiple personalities. Poor Skull. Thanks for all the reviews. :-)

Yield  
John Skullovitch stood in the studio and listened to his nephew, Gene, play the piano. The boy had really surprised him. He had given him a job at his brother's urging, convinced that his nephew wouldn't last. When he had cleaned himself up without a fuss, John had really given him a shot.

Gene was learning the guitar and had skill at producing and writing music. John was trying to convince him to write material for his own album, but so far Gene had resisted.

Yes, Gene was an asset to the Rising Dreams Recording Studio, but he was currently driving himself crazy over a woman. The woman had recently returned to Angel Grove from somewhere and they had been seeing each other for a few months. They were both holding back in the relationship and John had some advice for his nephew. He thought that this was the perfect time to divulge that information.

John entered the room when the song ended. "Hi, son."

Gene's head came up and he smiled in greeting. The boy had matured greatly over the years. He'd finally cut his hair and it was arranged in spikes. The one thing Gene wouldn't remove was his earring. The skull made him laugh; his nephew still went by that nickname at home and sometimes John found himself calling Gene it, too.

"Hi, Uncle John. How are you doing today?"

"Good, good. I didn't know you were here or I'd have been by sooner." He sat next to Gene, a stocky man with gray streaked black hair and dark eyes. "I want to tell you a story."

Gene smiled. His uncle's stories were legendary in the family.

"It's a story that I've never told before and it's perfect for now. When I was younger and first starting out in the music business, I was with a woman. She was perfect. Fiery, intelligent, opinionated, and beautiful. We were serious; I was about to ask her to marry me but," he shrugged sheepishly, "I had a decision to make. I could have a family or I could concentrate on my business. I chose my business and I didn't think it was fair for me to make her suffer for my ambition and we broke up. She didn't take it well, cursed at me and told me I was a bloody fool." He smiled, lost in the memories. "She was a hellcat.

Gene stared at him. "Why did you have to make a choice between the two?"

"My mentor told me that I couldn't have both and I believed him. He told me that if I wanted to have a successful career, I had to get rid of all distractions."

"I thought you said that Aunt Maria was your soul mate?" He was stunned. His aunt and uncle had been married over thirty years and had three kids together.

"Oh, she is." John laughed. "She gave me two years without her. I was miserable the whole time. I was thinking of quitting the business and going home to throw myself on her mercy. The second year rolled around and she stomped through my door again. My heart dropped at her feet. She demanded to know if I was happier without her and we eloped to Vegas that night."

"The moral for this is you can have it all if you have a good woman standing with you. Don't be too busy for love. The best thing in the world is to yield yourself over to the gift of it." He stood and patted Gene on the shoulder. "Just think about it."


	10. GreenEyed Monster

I've had this written for a month, but just haven't gotten around to posting it. I'm battling a case of where do I want this to go and I'm not sure yet. Hopefully I'll get past it.

Green-Eyed Monster 

Kim sat on their bench in front of the pond. She missed Skull when he was in L.A., so she sat on the bench to feel closer to him. Her answers, the ones she'd been searching for in regards to her life, had crystallized once she'd come home. A gymnastics school. Her name, her reputation in the gymnastics circle meant something. Hopefully that would result in a successful business. 

She tilted her head back, enjoying the sun on her face and the wind in her hair. Someone sat next to her and she looked over at them. She blinked. "Tommy," she whispered.

"Hey, Kim." All those years since their breakup, since they'd both moved on, but their breakup was something that neither of them had ever resolved and it loomed between them now. It looked like now was the time for them to clear the air.

"You know…"

"I'm …"

They laughed and it effectively broke the ice. They both relaxed.

"Go ahead, Tommy," she urged him.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"Why did you send the letter?"

"I'm not trying to be flip, but do you mean the letter itself or why did I break up with you?"

"The letter."

She sighed. "I don't really have a reason why I chose a letter. Seventeen is a foolish age for a girl, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. I was across the country and alone except for my Aunt and in a new situation. I freaked." She laughed. "We were drifting apart. I knew it and you knew it," she glanced at him and he nodded. "Once I decided to do it, I tried to talk to you about it, but we each had our drifting lives and we stopped talking and I took the easy way out. I wrote the letter, and addressed it to the Juice Bar because then Kat would know about it. She's an attractive woman and I knew it wouldn't be long before you hooked up."

"Thanks for telling me why but I have my own confession to make. I couldn't handle not having you with me. I loved you, but it was the fact that you were "here"; once you weren't, we weren't strong enough to last." He shrugged sheepishly. "If you hadn't sent me the letter, I might have sent you one."

She relaxed completely for the first time in years.

"Are we good now?"

"Of course, Kim."

She scooted across the bench and hugged Tommy. Neither of them noticed Skull standing in the park entrance. He knew that between his heart breaking and jealousy choking him that he was completely destroyed. He walked away.


End file.
